Mist
"For this was an owl who wanted only to do good, who clung to dreams of freedom while giving up her own and, from a stony perch in a lawless place, she did find a way to wage her own war." - Soren, The Capture, page 129 Mist, once known as Hortense, is a female spotted owl (Strix occidentalis) originating from the Southern Kingdoms, more specifically the kingdom of Ambala. She met Soren and Gylfie when they were just owletes at St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls. She later proves to be an useful ally for both the band and the Guardians. History Before the Books Hortense was born in Ambala near a stream full of small bits of an iron-like metal, called "flecks". These flecks had the ability to give owls special abilities or great disabilities, as in the case of her father, who could see through rock, her brother, who was blind, and her grandmother, who lost all her wits. In her case, she was small and impervious to being moon blinked, which is caused by an owl sleeping at night under the full moon instead of during daylight. Moon blinking leads to a loss of individuality and can make an owl a mindless or perfectly obedient slave. Hortense grew feathers slowly, and remains the size of an owlet even as she turned four years old because of flecks, while also remaining unable to fly, as her wings were crippled. This came to her advantage when she volunteered to go on an inside mission to St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls, who were snatching young owlets/eggs and moon blinking them to amass an army to control the owl world. Two Snowy Owls placed her close outside the entrance to the canyons, with the promise of bringing her home afterwards. And soon, she was found and brought in where she began her mission. 'The Capture' Hortense pretended to be excited after receiving her number designation, 12-8, and appeared to all the other owls as "perfect" in her duties. In reality, however, she was recovering snatched eggs and giving them to a pair of eagles who return the unhatched chicks to Ambala. Gylfie, a young Elf Owl who had escaped moon blinking as well, saw her on one occasion and told her friend, Soren. They confronted Hortense, and she told them about her past. The next time she delivered an egg, Soren and Gylfie both watched. Suddenly, a group of St. Aggie's owls caught Hortense and battled with the eagle who came to retrieve the egg, whose name was Zan. Zan's tongue was ripped out, making her mute, and Hortense was pushed off a cliff by Finny. All presumed her dead, but in fact she was rescued by Zan's mate, Streak. In fact, every other chick in Ambala was named Hortense after her in honor, even if they were male. However, the fall caused her feathers turned grey and misty due to severe shock, making Hortense almost invisible. When Hortense returned to Ambala, she assumed the name Mist. 'The Siege' Mist saw the Glauxian Brother, Simon, nursing Soren's evil brother Kludd back to health. Kludd then murdered him shortly after. He didn't notice Mist, who was watching from a nearby tree. When news came from another owl named Hortense that Soren was injured after a mission to St. Aggie's, she, along with her eagles, Zan and Streak, as well as the flying snake, Slynella, went to the hollow where the chaw of chaws were staying. 'The Outcast' Stingyll and Slynella takes Nyroc to Mist's nest. They teach Nyroc the alphabet and help him change his name. Nyroc shares infomation before he, now called Coryn, leaves. Trivia * Hortense has become a common name in Ambala, even for males, so as to honor her past deeds at St. Aegolius. * In her illustration from the back of The Siege, she appears to have two talons on her left foot, and three on her right. This may be a drawing error, or she lost the missing appendage in the battle where she "died". * Hortense doesn't appear in the movie. However, when Gylfie and Soren line up in the Glaucidium, there is a pale-coloured Spotted Owl beside Gylfie, perhaps a nod to the book character. Category:Characters Category:Females Category:Owls Category:Spotted Owls Category:The Capture characters Category:The Siege characters Category:The Outcast characters Category:Protagonists Category:Main Characters